Birds of a Feather
by Billy-008
Summary: Many things were lost during the war; entire Terra's were swallowed up by the Cyclonian Empire and with no communication to the rest of Atmos, were lost to all knowledge. One inhabitant of such a terra is about to revive the history of her people.
1. Chapter 1

_**Birds of a Feather**_

**Chapter 1**

Thick clouds filled the silent sky, fighting the strong wind that attempted to push them away from their usual home on Terra Gale. A muffled humming made its way through the calm and grew louder as something approached. Suddenly a Talon Switchblade broke through the clouds and immediately changed course to dive for the next batch, the Rider glanced over her shoulder, searching among the white walls. _Nothing_. She began to breathe a sigh of reliefbut it caught in her throat._ …Wait… _A sound reached her ears, like a pillowcase full of angry bees. Another Switchblade emerged through the clouds, then another, then more one right after the other. The Rider growled and sped towards the clouds below, the Talons dove after her, firing before they too were swallowed up by the immense white.

x x x

The Condor's great bulk moved cautiously through the crowded sky as the pilot grumbled quietly at the helm, checking various gauges and navigation instruments. Aerrow could only guess what the Merb was muttering to himself, probably something along the lines of doom and destruction. With a small sigh Aerrow turned his bright green eyes back to bridge windows, nothing but endless layers of white and grey stared back. The redhead frowned and moved up to Stork's left, closer to the windows to get a better view above the ship. _More clouds. _

Finally Aerrow addressed the pilot. "So Stork, have any idea of our position?"

"Mmmm not sure." He replied quickly, now scanning wildly with one of the sixty foot periscopes. He turned back to the Sky Knight and gave a helpless shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine man."

"Well we can't be too far from Terra Gale" Piper put in thoughtfully.

Aerrow turned to face her; she stood gazing at the multitude of charts spread out on the table in the lower area of the bridge, as Finn stretched out in a chair studying the latest Air Skimmer models and parts. Piper glared at Finn as he put his feet up onto the table, but dismissed it with a shake of her head.

"According to these charts we should be just in the edge of the terra's storm clouds. Sometimes, if the wind is strong enough they can travel for miles!"

Junko and Radarr entered as she finished, having obviously come from the kitchen. Junko joined Piper and Finn at the table as Radarr leapt onto his favourite place on Aerrow's shoulder.

Stork seemed to get even twitchier at this news. The tall Merb returned to fussing over the scanning equipment. "Near Terra Gale? Ohhh not good, there are Cyclonian mining cargo routes all over this area."

"Which are now out of commission" Aerrow reminded him.

"Yeah, thanks to The Storm Hawks!" Junko added with enthusiasm and finished off his sandwich, even Radarr added a little cheer.

Finn spoke up from behind his magazine. "Besides if there were Cyclonians out there we would have to literally run into them to even see them with all those clouds."

Stork stopped tapping on the scanners screen. "Hmm yes, with my luck…" He said quietly.

"Awe relax Stork, at least nothing went wrong during the mission." Piper encouraged, not looking up from her charts.

"True…" the Merb paused thoughtfully. "…But that just means that the evil energies of Fate are building, and as soon as you let your guard down it will be there to strike down from the heavens without mercy!"

A Talon Switchblade suddenly burst through the clouds, low and fast right for the bridge windows. Stork gave a yell and dove for cover while Radarr screeched and wrapped himself around Aerrow's head. The rider looked as startled as they did before pulling up sharply and disappearing overhead.

Stork stood up from his duck-and-cover position. "See… told ya"

Aerrow finally managed to peel his co-pilot off of his face; the blue creature gave him a sheepish grin and returned to his perch.

"What in the Atmos was that?" Finn exclaimed from the floor in annoyance. Junko reached down and tried to help untangle him from the chair.

"Whoever it was, they didn't look like a Talon" Piper stated, quickly regaining her composure. "They looked-"

"Watch out!" Junko yelled. He abandoned his attempt to help Finn as more Switchblades sped towards the Condor, veering left and right, narrowly avoiding a collision.

"Battle…!" The last Talon disappeared after the others. "Stations…?" Aerrow finished, confused. "Uhhh Stork?"

The Merb hurried to the periscope. "No sign, they went up through the cloud layer."

"Looked like they were after that first rider!" said Finn, regaining his feet.

"Stork, after them, full speed!" commanded the Sky Knight, "any enemy of Cyclonia is a friend of ours!" his green eyes burned with intensity.

"Aye, aye" Stork saluted, and steered the Condor up into the clouds.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The Rider looked back, catching a last glimpse of the airship before it faded back into the clouds. _Are they friend or foe?_ She considered the idea of going back. The decision was made for her as the Talons appeared again, emerging through the clouds where she had left the ship behind. She gave another low animal growl deep in her throat. _They just don't give up!_ Releasing the throttle, she shot up through the final cloud layer.

Abruptly the Switchblade's engine sputtered, and then stalled completely. "Uh-oh, not good" The Rider mumbled then gave a start as a red energy blast shot past her face. "Really not good!" She glanced behind her; the Talons were practically right on her tail. She revved the engine a couple times. Another energy blast warmed her ear. _Come on…_It roared to life on the fourth try.

"Yes!" She pulled to the left, dodging another round of enemy fire. A new sound reached her ears, something much louder than a skimmer, the Rider turned to look behind her once again. It seemed the Talons could hear it too, for they had stopped firing and were also searching for source of the sound. Suddenly, with its deep horn blaring, the airship she had almost careened into broke through the clouds. _Friend I think._ She thought with a small smile.

x x x

"Finn, what's the count?" Aerrow asked as soon as they were free of the clouds.

The sharp-shooter took a moment to scan with the periscope. "At least 20." He replied.

"Two patrol units" The Sky Knight muttered thoughtfully. "Stork…" He turned to the Merb "Stand by if we need cover fire, otherwise hold your position." Stork nodded and returned his attention to the helm. "Storm Hawks…" The redhead turned to his squadron with a grin. "Let's fly!" The teenagers whooped and raced to their skimmers.

x x x

The Rider's Switchblade had long since run out of energy blasts; instead she resorted to close-quarters combat. Talons swarmed around her, one appeared in front of her suddenly. Reaching behind with her right hand, she quickly drew her energy sword and passed the flat of the blade in front of her face. The bitter smell of an energy burn reached her nostrils as one of the shots from the Talon's Switchblade deflected off her sword, while the other seared her left arm. She hissed in pain, pulling her skimmer into a tight left hand barrel roll to avoid colliding with the Talon. There were too many, and her ride was practically out of fuel. She was debating on whether a trip to the wastelands would be a better choice when she noticed a decrease in enemy fire. Risking a quick glance behind her, she saw the reason. More than half of the Talons had broken off of the main group to engage a new enemy; four sky rides had taken off from the new come airship. Relief washed over her, but was quickly forgotten when one of the Talons still after her tried to behead her with a wing.

He came down high from the right, she didn't even see him until the wing tip was a few feet from colliding with her head. The Rider braked hard and pulled up into a stall, feeling the cold sting of metal slide across her throat. The wave of Talons broke around her stalled skimmer. Gravity once again took over and the Rider steered the skimmer into a dive and levelled out, she watched as the six Talons turned and made their way back. Her arm burned, her neck stung, and her eyes blazed.

"My turn" she said calmly, and activated her energy sword. Gripping the hilt of her sword, she sped towards them. A thought entered her mind that maybe going six against one wasn't the smartest thing to do. _Too late_. They fired at her, she dodged and rolled, narrowly evading the energy blasts and then struck out with her sword as she passed, placing two enemies out of commission to float down towards the Wastelands.

"Two down…" she said as she sheathed her sword, extinguishing the golden glow. Her gaze swept over the skies "…and many more to go." Her new found friends seemed to be having their own share of troubles. _Time to fix that. _She decided, and shot towards them as swiftly as she could.

Skimmers were everywhere, she darted among them acrobatically and the remaining Talons tailing her ended up either crashing into each other or dealing out friendly fire. The Rider spotted one of the newcomers from the ship; he was being shadowed, but the blond was too busy targeting his own prey to notice. She altered her path to intersect them and approached from below. When the blond was just above her she pulled up sharply with a roll and her Switchblade's wing connected with the Talon's ride, effectively slicing it in half. The startled blond looked behind him, then at her as she straightened out her ride above.

"Right on, thanks for the assist!" he said, breaking into a grin.

She grinned back, but before she could speak, movement above caught her eye.

"Incoming!" yelled the Wallop as he dove between their skimmers. He had a multitude of Talons in hot pursuit.

"Whoa!" The spiky blond shouted, and then hurried after his friend. "Hang on there Junko, I got ya covered!"

The Rider was about to go after them, however, she had picked up another batch of Talons. She went back to her aerial acrobatics to try to shake them. The Switchblade's engine began to sputter; she twisted around to look at it, pleading _no, not now_. She returned her eyes forward in time to avoid sideswiping another newcomer. She dove and rolled smoothly under the just as surprised redhead, but one of the Talons hounding her was not so lucky and crashed into another Talon who was chasing the redhead.

The Rider watched the Talons chutes open. _Well that was close._

x x x

Aerrow watched the rider fly away, then turned to Radarr, who had covered his eyes with his long blue ears. "Well, that was close."

Radarr peeked out from behind his furry blindfold and whimpered.

"Now let's take care of the rest, hang on!" The Sky Knight braked hard, ignoring his co-pilots squawk. As Aerrow passed between them, the two Talons were swept from their seats by the wings of his skimmer and now clung to them for dear life.

"Care to do the honours Radarr?" He said, arching an eyebrow his co-pilot

Radarr chattered happily and pulled the lever to retract the wings. The two Talons yelled in surprise as they fell towards the clouds. The Sky Knight's skimmer dropped a few feet until the wings unfolded once again.

A shout sounded behind him, and Aerrow whipped his head around to see another Talon fall towards clouds, black smoke coming from his ride.

Piper was riding along behind him. "Too easy," She said, twirling her energy staff with a smile.

Aerrow smiled back. Their good mood was interrupted by a crackle from their radios.

x x x

"Uhh, guys? Don't mean to ruin your fun but…" Stork turned to face the windows on the bridge, off the starboard bow in the distance he could just make out a large Cyclonian airship. "…we're all going to be in real trouble, real soon. There's a Patrol Carrier on its way and I don't think it's here for a pickup!" He finished, watching the activity on the airship's deck with his binoculars.

Aerrow's voice came back through the radio. _"Copy that Stork, hold your position."_

"What! Are you crazy?" Stork shouted frantically at the radio.

"_Just do it! Aerrow out."_ The radio went silent.

Stork sighed in defeat. "This won't end well."

x x x

"Perfect." Aerrow muttered. Already he could see the rest of the Talons retreating to the Carrier behind him. The redhead grimaced and opened a comm. channel. "Everyone back to the Condor" immediately he remembered the rider. He searched the surrounding skies and spotted her off to his left.

"Piper, make your way back to the Condor." He looked back at her. "I'll go inform our guest of the change in plans"

Piper nodded and steered back towards the Condor.

"Let's go Radarr." The animal made a sound which sounded like agreement and they took off towards the rider.

x x x

The Rider lowered her sword and watched from her perch on the nose and wing of her ride as the last of the Talons retreated. Only a moment ago she had heard a message come through her Switchblade's radio, now she stared off into the distance with a sense of dread; the Patrol Carrier was barely visible through the clouds, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was there. The red haired youth she almost – literally – ran into earlier approached her, with a strange blue animal accompanying him.

"Make for the ship!" He shouted, and pointed to the airship that had come to her rescue from the clouds.

She raised her sword in salute and hopped back into her seat to follow him. Though she knew this was all in vain; there was no way they could defeat a force that large, and they couldn't escape. Cyclonia wouldn't let her escape. The Switchblade's engine struggled again for a moment, coughed, then died completely, actually she was amazed that it held out for so long, these were supposed to have the worst fuel efficien- _That's it! _She thought excitedly. Reaching to one of the small pouches on her belt, she pulled out a small yellow-gold crystal, immediately the crystal began to gather energy and glow. Opening the Switchblade's fuel tank she dropped the crystal inside, instantly the engine roared to life and the sky ride began to pick up speed. The Rider aimed the nose of her ride to the Patrol Carrier and locked the steering. _Time to wing it_.

x x x

Radarr chattered in alarm.

"What is it buddy?" Just then Aerrow caught a glimpse of movement above him and to the right of his skimmer. _It's just her_. He thought, a little bit confused. _What…?_

"Wait a second." The Sky Knight followed her current trajectory. "She's heading right for the carrier! Aerrow anxiously searched his mind for possible answers. _Could we have been wrong?_ Could she really be a Talon, and was just stalling until backup arrived?

The rider was now making her way over him. "Keep going!" She yelled to him.

Aerrow breathed a sigh of relief, no, she wasn't a Talon, but what was she planning? _She can't think she can take them alone…_ He watched as her ride as it continued to pick up speed, showing no signs of slowing down, the very skimmer began to glow with a golden aura. _…unless._ Aerrow followed her path again; it would take her directly over the Condor before heading straight into one of the Patrol Carrier's engines.

The redhead looked to his co-pilot. "I think we're in for quite the light show Radarr." His blue friend gave him a worried look.

x x x

The whole sky ride began to shake with strain from the speed. As she came closer to the friendly airship the Rider closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. _Here we go. _She thought as she opened her eyes.

The ship was coming up fast. "One…" A dark rumble began deep inside the skimmer. "…two…" The rumble grew louder, gauges on the dash that were already above maximum cracked and shattered. "…three!" Now directly over the ship the newcomers came from, the Rider jumped. _This might hurt a bit._ She wished she had a parachute.

x x x

Piper hurriedly joined Finn on the flight deck. "What is it Finn?"

The blond was shading his eyes, watching something flying above the Condor. "I think she's going to jump!"

Piper strained her eyes to see, and watched in horror as the mysterious rider leapt from the speeding Switchblade, aiming to land on the Condor's roof.

Junko landed and parked his ride near the two and joined them.

Piper gripped Finn's shoulder. "Why is her chute not opening?" No one answered. Piper gasped and gripped Finn's arm tighter but she couldn't tear her eyes away as the rider landed feet first and rolled across the Condor's roof, almost rolling in the process.

"Hey Piper?" Finn grunted painfully. "Can I have my arm back now?"

Piper looked over at Finn in confusion, and then at his arm, she had both hands around it in a death grip. "Oh, sorry." She said letting go with a weak laugh. Finn rubbed his arm and gave her a wary look.

Aerrow's voice crackled through the radio on Junko's skimmer. _"Everyone keep your eye on the birdie!"_

The three Storm Hawks returned their gaze to the rogue Switchblade still speeding its way towards the Patrol Carrier, the ride was now glowing like a tiny sun.

Piper gasped again. "It's going to-"

"It sure is!" Junko and Finn said at the same time.

Aerrow landed and joined the rest of his team in time to see the Switchblade ram into the carrier's port-side engine. There was a vast, release of golden energy and then a huge explosion. The Storm Hawks shielded their eyes against the glare and watched the carrier sink to hang askew in the clouds.

An appreciative whistle came from behind the team. They all turned, and stood in stunned silence.

The rider stood beside them, shielding her eyes to watch the Patrol Carrier's doom. "That should keep them busy for a while." She stated in a pleasant voice.

x x x

Aerrow didn't know what to say, he had never seen a species like her; she had a long tail covered in what he couldn't decide if it was feathers or fur, she was easily as tall as Stork on feet that reminded him of the great mountain cats on Atmosia – and probably had equally sharp claws hidden in them – her auburn hair was done up in a braid. She was dressed simply and lightly armoured with a sword belt hanging around her waist carrying a short curved blade. Her right hand rested lightly on the abnormally long hilt while she shielded her eyes with her left. That was the weird thing; her right hand was completely normal and, well, _human_ looking, but the left… From the elbow down it was scaly like that of a bird, and ended in a hand with all five fingers tipped by wicked black claws.

The Storm hawks continued to stare as she turned to them. Aerrow noticed something else; her left eye was a deep brown-green but the right one, partially hidden by her hair, was a bright golden yellow.

She gave Aerrow a grin, showing off sharp canine teeth. "Oh excuse me, where are my manners these days?" She held out her right hand to Aerrow. "Hi, I'm Gryphon."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Aerrow stared at the hand until Piper elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ouch! I mean Hi" He said quickly and shook her hand. "The name's Aerrow, Sky Knight of the Storm Hawks. This is my squadron; Finn, Junko, Piper, Radarr and Stork is our pilot." He finished, introducing each of them in turn. Piper shook her hand eagerly; so many questions slipped though her mind that she couldn't grab hold of one.

Stork's voice fizzed out of the radio once more. _"Don't mean to nag, but do you think we could continue you little conversation someplace with less Talons?" _

The group turned back to the carrier, the large ship may be down but it wasn't out.

Aerrow pushed the comm. button on his skimmer, "alright Stork, take us out of here" he replied. Immediately the Condor began to turn away, leaving the Cyclonians in the clouds.

The boys parked their skimmers in the hanger bay as Piper helped Gryphon into the Condor. Piper voiced her amazement that after leaping almost 100 feet onto a drifting carrier all she walked away with was a twisted ankle where she should, at the _least,_ have a broken leg, if not dead.

Gryphon laughed. "I'm actually surprised, not to mention grateful, that it wasn't worse. Just to be safe though I'll try not to make a habit of leaping from speeding skimmers."

Piper smiled. "In the meantime, I'll be sure to find something in the Condor you can put on that."

Gryphon thanked her and they continued slowly to the bridge.

x x x

The rest of the team joined Gryphon, Piper and Stork on the bridge and picked out a chair around their Strategy table, all except Stork, who was at the helm making sure they were a comfortable distance away from the Cyclonian airship. Gryphon adjusted the ice pack on her right ankle and sat back with a grateful sigh.

"Umm," Piper started out, grabbing Gryphon's attention. "You have a little..." Piper fingered her own neck, looking a little green.

Gryphon wiped her throat with her right hand, a bit of blood was smeared on her fingers. _Ouch, that was a close shave._ Piper handed her a tissue and she wiped the rest of the blood away. "Thanks."

"So, Gryphon," the young Sky Knight began awkwardly. "Where are you from…? Exactly?"

"Aerrow!" Piper blushed with embarrassment, glaring at the redhead, and gave their guest an apologetic look.

Gryphon gave the two a lopsided grin. "I'm from Terra Skythern."

Piper forgot her humiliation. "Terra Skythern? I've never heard of it." She said, her amber eyes troubled.

"I doubt you would have, the terra was taken by Cyclonia at the height of the War, its Sky Knight squadron defeated. For 18 years my people have been held prisoner on their own terra."

"But," Pier began, "there should be at least some recorded history that I would have read..."

She shrugged. "Even before then communications with the rest of Atmos was difficult, but now it's impossible. The Cyclonians want the Therans to be forgotten."

Aerrow looked puzzled. "There must have been others of your kind – Therans? – off-terra when it was invaded?"

Gryphon shook her head sadly. "I'm not exactly sure of what happened, my guess is that any Theran who was off-terra were either captured or killed during the War."

"So what, after 20 odd years of complete slavery, how was it that you escaped?" The spiky blond questioned.

Gryphon turned her attention to him – _Finn was it? –_ "I haven't been the first to try, and I won't be the last. Many have sacrificed themselves fighting the Cyclonian Empire." Grief gripped her heart. "This latest escape attempt was not as successful as we had wished; I actually started out in a team with four others." She paused, letting her emotions settle. "I've always been lucky but how I survived I don't know. Maybe because I'm only half Theran they thought I was only half of a threat." She mused, almost to herself.

"Wait...What?" Piper said a little confused.

Gryphon looked up; the five Storm Hawks – Radarr included – looked shocked.

She shifted in her chair uncomfortably. _Nice one, why don't you just tell them your whole life story!_ She chided herself. "What? Did you think all Therans were a patchwork quilt like me?"

There were hasty stammers of protest around the table and Piper's face turned a shade of red to rival Aerrow's hair.

Gryphon laughed, forgetting her embarrassment "Here look," she reached into one of the pouches on her sword belt and pulled out a creased photograph. "My mother Jaya, and I." She handed the picture to Piper beside her without looking at it, she didn't need to, she could recall every feature from memory. The two stood at the base of a very large tree, the trunk of which took up most of the background, sunlight glinted through canopy somewhere to land upon them. Gryphon, looking a few years younger, was on her mother's left, the two wore matching grins and if it wasn't for that, you would never have known they were even related, Gryphon was tall but her mother was even taller. The tail, claws and fur seemed completely natural on her compared to her daughter. Jaya's had more cat-like features then human, including pointed ears that peeked out on either side of a short mane of golden brown hair, she seemed to radiate a wild grace and beauty. Another thing Gryphon did share with her mother, or at least partly, were her eyes. Gryphon's right eye was a perfect match to Jaya's rich golden eyes staring out from the photograph.

"She's beautiful." Piper said truthfully, and handed the picture to Aerrow.

The redhead studied the photo, "so your father was human?" he commented, and snapped his mouth shut with a worried look at Piper "Sorry, I don't mean to pry..." he trailed off and handed the photo to Radarr on his shoulder, who then passed it to Junko.

"Apology not necessary, I'm a stranger on your ship after all. Yes, though I don't remember him very well. He fought in the War and was always on the move."

Junko looked up from the two figures in the picture. "So is he…?" he couldn't finish and handed the picture to Finn.

Gryphon inhaled slowly. "My mother tells me he died in the invasion, I was four at the time. Any pictures we had of him were burned along with everything else, the Cyclonians were merciless." The Theran retrieved the picture from Finn and placed it back in her belt pouch.

The team had gone quiet enough that you could hear Stork grumbling at the controls. Aerrow finally broke the silence. "There's still something that bugs me; even with the time that has past and the lack of communications, it just doesn't seem possible that no one has heard of, or mentioned Terra Skythern or the Therans. The Sky Knight council on Atmosia has to have some knowledge of the terra if it had a squadron."

Gryphon removed the icepack from her chilled ankle as she considered this.

"That's true; the Sky Knight council has kept an accurate record of every Sky Knight and their squadron as long as there have been Sky Knights." Piper added.

The Theran clicked her claws on the table in thought. "I don't know." She said at last. "Could they have just given up on the terra completely? Were we not worth the risk? Many who have tried to escape think after all these years they assumed we had all been destroyed, and that if just one can make it off they can tell the rest of Atmos that 'yes, we are alive, and we want to fight with you.'" She leaned back in her chair, the exhaustion of the past few days seemed to catch up with her. "Maybe then I can rally enough support to free my home." She finished hopefully.

"Well you have our support." Piper said in earnest.

"That's right." Aerrow agreed. "We need all the allies we can get if we want to defeat the Cyclonian Empire." Radarr chattered his agreement as well.

Gryphon's throat tightened, she almost didn't believe there could be someone out here who would want to help her. Maybe she was dreaming, that's it, she was shot down, hit her head and was now lying in the Wastelands about to become lunch for some horrid creature. She quickly pushed away her dark thoughts. "Thank you," she choked out, "all of you. I don't think I would be sitting here if it wasn't for all of your help."

Finn sat up suddenly. "Hey that reminds me, what in the Atmos did you do to that skimmer? That explosion was incredible!" Junko nodded enthusiastically.

"You would have needed a pretty high-grade Eruption Crystal to pull that off." Piper offered.

"Eruption Crystal?" Gryphon had never heard of such a crystal. "No, I just used one of these." She reached to her belt again and pulled out another yellow-gold crystal. The crystal began to glow immediately and the golden glow increased in her hand until she placed it on the surface of the table were, it suddenly released the pent up energy in a small, warm wave. "It's called a Kinetic Crystal. It gathers energy through movement."

Piper was transfixed. "Wow." She breathed. "I've never heard of anything like it!"

"The energy is released once it stops moving. The more continuous or the faster the movement, the more energy is released once it stops.

"Wait," Finn interrupted, confused. "If movement gives this thing energy, how do you walk around with it without blasting a hole in your pants?" Piper tore her eyes away from the crystal long enough to glare at the blond, he look back at her and shrugged innocently."

Gryphon chuckled. "Fair question, the pouch I keep them in is lined with slivers of another crystal called a Potential Stone." She pulled out another small crystal and placed it beside the other, this one a blue so deep it was black. "It's the counterpart to the Kinetic Crystal. When near each other, the Potential Stone will absorb any energy the Kinetic Crystal gives off." Gryphon reached over to the golden crystal and picked it up, holding it a foot above the table. The crystal glowed again but did not release any wave of energy like before, instead it dimmed and a deep blue light grew inside the black stone below. Gryphon let the Kinetic Crystal fall back to the table and once again it glowed brightly and dimmed while its counterpart emitted a stronger blue light from its depths. "No matter the size the Potential Stone has an infinite amount of energy storage, as far as we know."

"Amazing!" Piper said quietly.

"Having one is the only safe way to handle or transport these crystals in small spaces. That's why it acted the way it did when I put it in the skimmer. But if the container it is in is big enough, like this ship, it will act as if it is still on solid, unmoving, ground." Gryphon grimaced, "it sure sounds confusing when I say it out loud."

Piper reached for the two crystals but stopped and looked at Gryphon, "may I?" her hand hovered above them.

"Yes of course!" Gryphon smiled as the girl picked them up with a look of complete wonderment on her face. "Better yet." She started, getting an idea. "You keep those, I have plenty more."

The girl was speechless for a moment "Oh wow!" Piper stammered, looking down at the crystals. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

Gryphon dismissed it with a small wave of her hand. "It's the least I could do, after all. Just consider it a 'Thanks-for-saving-my-life' gift"

"With crystals like this, who knows what kind of destruction Master Cyclonis could create" Piper realized with horror

"So what's stopping her? Aerrow asked.

Gryphon gave a wolfish grin "They are one secret we have kept well hidden from Cyclonia; they don't know where they grow and we don't tell them, even if they found one of the locations, mining Kinetic Crystals is about as dangerous as handling them, any attempt they try would blow up in there faces."

A worried laugh came from the helm. "Well that's a relief" Stork said in mock cheerfulness. "I just have one question." The Merb checked the Condor's course a final time before turning to face the Theran. "If the Cyclonians are not mining your terra, and they're not using your people for slave labour on other terras…why is it they are going to such lengths to erase all knowledge of the Therans?" Stork's eyed her suspiciously.

The team turned back to Gryphon, she stared at the surface of the table, her tail twitched in thought. If she wanted them to trust her, really trust her, she needed to be forthcoming. All the years of secrecy and living underground, always with the threat of capture, torture, and the promise to never give them anything.

"The Warders," she said finally. "It has to be."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The throne room doors blew open ahead, stopping the Dark Ace in his tracks. A Talon officer's temporary flight halted as he collided with the wall on the opposite side of the hall. The Master herself stood in the open doorway with her crystal staff raised and a murderous expression on her face, the officer cowered beneath her gaze. Just then Cyclonis noticed the Dark Ace standing down the hallway, she lowered her staff and her face calmed.

"Leave." She directed to the Talon, her anger just held in check. The officer wasted no time in following orders and ran for it with barely a salute.

Master Cyclonis glanced at her commander once more before walking back into her throne room. Dark Ace took the hint and followed behind.

"All of you leave." She said more calmly this time. The two guards inside bowed to her, fist to chest and walked out, closing the large double doors behind him.

Cyclonis leaned her staff against her crystal work station and sighed, running her fingers along the keys before sitting down in her high backed chair. The Dark Ace watched it all silently from a respectful distance away. _This isn't like her, it must be something big. _Dark Ace had heard news concerning a Patrol Carrier and had seen the damaged ship at the docks himself. But something more than just a ruined carrier was bothering her.

Cyclonis was still facing her machine, slouched with her head supported in one hand and the other gripping the chair arm tightly. Dark Ace stood uncomfortably in the silence and opened his mouth to speak when she interrupted.

"What do you fear?"

Dark Ace stood dumbfounded for a moment, mouth still half open. "Master…?"

"Death maybe? The unknown?" She contemplated philosophically. "It's human nature to fear the unknown, the unnatural. But death is a natural process, the only constant in our lives is knowing that we will all, someday, die, but yet we still fear it, it is an unknown." She mulled this over for a bit. "What lies beyond the veil, maybe if we knew, we wouldn't fear it." She said quietly, lost in her thoughts.

Dark Ace cleared his throat loudly. Master Cyclonis got up suddenly and strode towards him purposefully.

"What do you fear Dark Ace?" She stopped in front of him and stared up into his face. Her violet eyes were bottomless.

The Talon Commander may have towered over her, but couldn't help but squirm ever so slightly under her intense scrutiny. More than a bit confused he tried to avoid those eyes. "Master I –" He halted as her expression darkened.

"Everyone fears something." She said softly, searching his face.

The Dark Ace decided to play along. "What I fear…" he searched his thoughts for an appropriate answer. "Failure." He said flatly.

Cyclonis laughed, and a smile lit up her face. "Ah, but if you die, you also fail!"

"Is there a point to all this?" He said, a little annoyed

The smile faded from the girls face. "Do you know of the Therans?" She asked as she turned away, walking slowly back to her machine.

The Commander's crimson eyes narrowed suspiciously. "The Therans are a species that lives on Terra Skythern, now controlled by The Empire." He had actually been to the terra a few times in his… past.

Cyclonis reached her machine and picked up her staff. "One of the locals has escaped and found their way past the border troopers." She stroked the crystal held within the staff. "And now my sources tell me that the Theran is now with the Storm Hawks." Her grip tightened on the staff and she whipped around, anger once again twisting her delicate features. "I want that Theran captured or killed!"

"Of course Master." The Dark Ace inclined his head. "But why go to all the trouble for just one runner?"

Cyclonis loosened her grip on the staff and turned away from him. "I'm sure you remember the Warders?"

A lump caught in his throat. "Yes." He said hoarsely.

"The Empire cannot afford there presence again." She turned back to him, her face once again a measure of calm. "Find the Theran."

Dark Ace saluted, fist to chest, and bowed deeply, "Yes Master." then walked back towards the great double doors.

"And Dark Ace…"

He stopped and half turned to face her, she was once again sitting in the large chair with her back to him.

"…don't fail"

The Talon Commander left without a word.

The Dark Ace strode out of the throne room ignoring the Talon guards still in the hallway. He walked down the hall with his hands clasped behind him, lost deep in thought._ Warders… damn_. He shrugged his left shoulder uncomfortably in memory, the hydraulic pump attached shifted smoothly with him. He did not relish the idea of facing a Warder again; the last one may have been half dead but look where that got him.

_o o o_

His vision was still blurry from the hard hit he took to his left eye, so he didn't see the crystal charged blade until it tore into his left shoulder. His nerves felt as if they were on fire. The teenager screamed in pain and desperately shoved his attacker away, stumbling backwards into the far wall to lean against the cool surface. The faint smell of ozone aggravated his nose as he clutched his shoulder. Blood coursed down the useless limb to pool on the polished floor. He looked up, trying to focus past the pain, to his attacker. The man was kneeling where he had fallen with hands splayed out on the floor in front of him, he didn't rise further. Blood dripped out of his mouth and his breath was laboured, and even the simple act of raising his head seemed an enormous effort.

The man stared across the room at the younger with hurt in his deep green eyes, his bloodied lips managed to form a single word; "_Why?" _

The young man staggered over to the forgotten sword and picked it up with his still working hand before approaching his foe. The man stayed on all fours and dropped his head, to weak now to keep it up. The youth raised the glowing blade above the man's neck. _"You wouldn't understand." _ He said quietly, and brought the sword down with all his strength, the double bladed sword buried into the stone floor with a metallic clang.

_o o o_

A loud bang jolted The Dark Ace out of his thoughts and stopped him in his tracks for the second time that day, sounds of machinery echoed faintly throughout the large hall; he had wandered near the loading docks. He raised his left hand to run his fingers through his dark hair, and the pump mechanics creaked in response, sighing he dropped the hand back to his side, there were some things in life he wished he could forget, unfortunately this couldn't be one of them; every time he so much as twitched his left arm when he had the pump on he was reminded, or when he looked into the mirror; his eyes were no longer his own. He continued on to somewhere quieter, trying to shake himself out of his dark thoughts and focus on the problem at hand. The Warders may not have returned yet, but if worse came to worse he did not want a repeat performance. He needed information.

A thought occurred to him and he changed course to the Officer's Barracks. Finding the right room was another chore entirely, but after asking around a bit he was steered in the right direction. He didn't understand why the old retired general continued to live down here; he had enough honours to live comfortably on his own terra for the rest of his life, but he choose to live in this dump. Dark Ace grimaced when he found the rusted steel door he was looking for and knocked on the cold metal. Maybe he couldn't leave, he did advise Master Cyclonis during the War and now his daughter called for him on occasion.

"Who is it!" a voice called from within, muffled by the door.

"Your Commander, I request your council." The door opened with a soft _whoosh_ and face that had seen better days greeted him. General Gavin Corvus fought in the old war and survived more encounters with Warders than anyone, but not without injury.

"Ah, the Dark Ace!" He exclaimed in a raspy voice. "Please come, come in." The General stepped aside to let him in. Dark Ace assumed the ragged scars across his throat were what caused the rasp in his voice he could only guess what caused those. The blazing scar on the right side of his face on the other hand, could only have been caused by an energy weapon, taking his eye as well as a hand. As the General lead him away from the door The Dark Ace remarked that in spite of his greying blond hair, and his back beginning to bow, he still moved with a strong purpose. They entered into what looked like his sitting room which consisted of a couple chairs and worn couch around a crystal powered furnace all facing a large window that stared out across the haunting beauty of Cyclonia. _Ok, maybe it's not such a dump_.

General Corvus gestured to one of the chairs. "Sit, sit. Make yourself comfortable, it's not every day The Dark Ace comes to my door." He eased himself into the chair across from the commander. "Now, what is it you want to know?"

The Dark Ace leaned forward, arms resting on his knees and clasped his hands together. "Tell me about the Warders. Everything."

"Warders?" Corvus's expression darkened. "Now why would you need to know anything about Warders? I say let their memory die with them."

The Commander's lips tightened impatiently. "They may not be as dead as we hoped." He relaxed back into his chair. "Now, Theran Warders, how do you fight them?"

A hoarse laugh escaped the General. "You try not to. They are wicked fast and deadly accurate, and they are certainly not afraid of using those claws of theirs" He said seriously, rubbing the scars on his neck.

Dark Ace found his hand creeping up to his own neck and quickly put it back down. "You survived though."

Corvus snorted. "Barely, it was mostly luck." He raised his right arm; it ended in a stump about halfway down the forearm. "Though I'm not sure how you can call this luck."

Dark Ace was again reminded of his own injuries, which didn't seem as bad now. "They must have some sort of weakness."

Corvus rubbed his chin in thought. "There is something, I don't know if it could be called a weakness, but…" The old General stared through the dead furnace in front of him.

The Dark Ace sat as quietly and patiently as he could.

Corvus turned his solitary grey eye to him. "Every Warder, be they Theran or otherwise, is bound to their Sky Knight; they will do anything to protect them, whatever the cost."

"That doesn't sound like a weakness." The Commander said aloud, more to himself than the General.

He nodded expectantly, "as I told you."

The Dark Ace leaned back into his chair and crossed his left arm over his chest, using his right hand to rub his face tiredly. _Perhaps there is some way to exploit it._ Resting his chin in his hand he thought back to his own encounter. "What if a Warder failed? What if their Sky Knight died?"

"Then they have nothing to lose. They do not fear death because they have already died once."

Dark Ace was reminded of his strange conversation with Master Cyclonis. "What do you mean?"

The General gazed off into the distance. "You can see it in their eyes." His voice quieted with the memory. "It's like they can see into your very soul."

The Dark Ace leaned forward again. "How does this happen?" He whispered back. "How do they become Warders?" He asked eagerly, staring at the General.

Corvus focused back on The Dark Ace's crimson eyes. "It is not known to many, the Warders hold their secrets tightly."

"How was it you found out?" He asked curiously.

A smile pulled at the old one's lips. "Let's just say, next to fighting them, getting a Warder drunk was one of the more challenging things to do."

The Dark Ace smiled wryly.

"Speaking of which," The General levered himself out of his chair, "how about a drink?" Not waiting for an answer he disappeared into the next room.

"No, thank you" he called out to him over the clinking of glass.

Corvus came out with a full glass of amber liquid "Suit yourself." He returned to his seat and took a sip. "Now where was I?" he tapped his glass with a finger. "Ah yes, the Trials."

Dark Ace sat back patiently and tried to get comfortable; hooking one arm over the chair back and resting one ankle on the opposite knee.

"Now, the Ancients of Skythern" he began "had an arch, or 'gate' you could say, built that was made of many different types of crystals working together. That Gate was used to help choose those who would be Warders by pitting them against trials to prove their worth."

The Commander considered this as the General took another drink. "How was it they knew who to send into the Gate?"

"The Ancients didn't." He said after swallowing. "Somehow it was the Gate that would call the potential Warders to face the Trials."

"These trials, what do they consist of? Are they anything like the Sky Knight Trials?"

"I do not know the details, what I do know is that they are supposed to test knowledge and wisdom, power and skill, and courage and loyalty."

Not much help there, The Dark Ace thought of his next question as the General finished his drink. "Why is it that most Warders are Therans?"

Corvus looked to the bottom of his drink and sighed regretfully. "Warders have been represented by almost every species on different terras throughout history, but yes, the majority have been Therans. I have wondered that myself but have never come up with a clear answer." He turned to the window and watched the blood red clouds roll past. "It was the Theran's contribution to the protection of Atmos and is their legacy." He turned away from the window to face The Dark Ace. "You will have to ask them."

The Commander walked towards his quarters, he had left the old general wondering if he gained any useful information from the visit. Finally he decided he did; _when I find the Theran perhaps I'll try to get them drunk before tossing their body into the Wastelands. _He thought with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Gryphon looked around, making a slow 360 on the spot; an azure blue sky greeted her, painted with perfect cumulus clouds and not another terra in sight. She stood in a rich wild field on a small spit of land, too small to be classified as a terra. Closing her eyes she ran her fingers through the tall grass, inhaling the intoxicating scents of wildflowers and dirt. The Theran opened her eyes, and in the distance before her she could see a large and very beautiful terra with a steep mountain dominating the center of it.

A dark shape came into view from behind the terra, slowly increasing in size. Gryphon shaded her eyes, trying to make out mysterious form. The wind threatened to push her over, and the stormy sky camouflaged the form. _It's a bird._ She concluded finally as the dark bird continued to grow. A hawk's shrill cry cut through the wind above her. Gryphon craned her neck, a great red hawk soared over her, its wingspan was enormous, each beat of its wings creating another gust of wind. The hawk's eyes seemed to be a different colour every second without ever changing. The raptor directed its intimidating gaze towards the other bird and Gryphon did likewise, taking in the sinister sight. A vast black vulture hovered in the air, piercing red eyes stared out of its murky features, and its immense inky wings cast a shadow over the land. The vulture creature emitted a hoarse screech that tore at her ears. Both birds then shot towards each other, the wind from their wings creating whirlwinds of dirt and debris that swirled around her. The two giants met with a clash of talons and beaks, feathers and flesh. Lightning sparked and thunder rolled as the titans fought. Soon it began to rain over the vast barren terra, Gryphon wiped the wetness off of her upturned face, her hand came away red. It wasn't rain. _It's blood._ She thought calmly. Blood rained down, staining the clouds countless shades of crimson. The field itself began to wither and die, remnants of life blowing away like ash, leaving a dry and desolate wasteland. The bloodthirsty ground was soon quenched by the downpour, forming small pools of bleeding earth as the scarlet rain showered down from the birds.

Lightning burned the air and the wind tore Gryphon's breath away as the battle raged on above her. She couldn't move, she needed to stop them from fighting, the world was dying along with them and she could sense that if one of them fell, it would leave a ghastly wound in the sky that might never heal, but she couldn't move. Gryphon looked down at the ground; she was buried in dirt and rock up to mid-calf. She reached down, panting, and desperately scratched at the earth with her nails and claws. _Noo… _she moaned inwardly. _There isn't much time!_

It was quiet, not even a breath of wind stirred the air. Gryphon stood alone on an empty terra. The Theran searched the skies, where were the birds? Was she too late? _Wait, what birds?_ Blood-red clouds raced across the sky despite the absence of wind to guide them. A large terra stood in the distance, a dark, jagged thing with broken spires surrounded a sharp steep mountain pinnacle. Something stirred in her left hand; Gryphon turned her palm upwards to see a bloodied clod of dirt. A croak emanated from the dark lump, she brought the reddened mud closer to her face as it began to shift and morph. It finally settled on a shape of a tiny vulture. The creature fixed its beady red eyes on Gryphon, gave another little croak and flew into her face stabbing its dark beak into her golden eye.

_o o o_

Gryphon bolted upright, clawing her way out of the dream with a choked off yell, panting, she felt her face carefully but everything as it should be. She looked around at unfamiliar room and panic filled her again. _I've been caught! The Cyclonians have found me! _It took a moment to remember where she was and what had happened. She fell back to her pillow shaking with relief. _Safe._ She stared blankly at the ceiling of the Condor's guestroom, her breath began to slow as well as her heart. The memory of pain was fading but the intense feelings of the dream still gripped her.

It was a warm night and the room began to feel too stuffy, too confined. She needed out, she needed to see the stars, to breathe the fresh air. She untangled her legs from the single sheet, swinging her legs out to sit on the side of the bed. With three days of flying with little to no sleep she barely had enough time to remove her armour and sword before she was fast asleep. Gryphon rubbed her face vigorously to wake up and organized her braid as best she could before leaving the guestroom. She made her way through the quiet ship to the bridge balcony. Reaching her destination, Gryphon leaned against the railing, drawing in a ragged breath of the clear night air, and tried to shake off the remnants of the dream.

x x x

Aerrow's eyes opened. He stared at the plain grey ceiling of his room, wondering what had roused him. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at Radarr; the sky monkey was sprawled out in his hammock, limbs everywhere and snoring peacefully. Aerrow spared him a quick smile before returning to search the rest of his room for anything that could have disturbed his sleep. His armour was where he had hung it, no photo's had fallen of the wall, no books had fallen off the precarious pile on his dresser, and everything was in place on his desk, nothing. Aerrow eased himself back down to his pillow, but sleep eluded him. The Sky Knight's thoughts wandered as he stared at the ceiling. After Gryphon had told them what she could about the Warders Piper set a course for Atmosia. If they could convince the council to help free Terra Skythern, the reappearance of the Warders in Atmos could turn this war.

A soft _whoosh_ brought him back to the present. Aerrow got up out of his bunk hurriedly, almost falling flat as his sheets tangled in his green pyjama pants, but made it safely to his door. He opened the door manually and peeked out in time to see the tip of a feathered tail disappear around the corner. The redhead ducked back inside his room and dug out a faded black t-shirt from his dresser before returning to the door. Radarr snorted, losing the rhythm of his sleep as Aerrow slipped out soundlessly, closing the door behind him with a faint click.

Aerrow walked quickly down the silence of the hall, the cold of the metal floor seeped through the skin of his bare feet, chilling him slightly. He reached the corridor and took the same turn as the Theran. The Sky Knight had a pretty good idea on where she was heading, he himself had made the same trip countless times. It was amazing what a little fresh air and quiet could do to help you think.

The bridge doors opened with a soft hiss and Aerrow stepped past. Moon and starlight shone through the great windows, casting a soft glow into the Condor. Gryphon stood just outside, leaning against the railing of the balcony that overlooked the flight deck and Atmosia beyond that.

She spun as soon as she heard the door open. "I'm sorry," she started, abashed. "I shouldn't be walking around your ship in the middle of the night..."

Aerrow waved a hand absentmindedly, joining the Theran and rested his arms against the railing a couple feet off from her left. Gryphon smiled thankfully and relaxed back against the railing. After a while she lifted her head to look up at the sky, the redhead followed suit and gazed up at the stars. They stood there in silence, Aerrow peeked at the Theran out of the corner of his eye, her face was blank and she was focused on something that was somewhere far past the stars. _She has a lot to think about. _He returned his eyes to the sky._ I'm surprised she slept at all._

"If you could choose, how would you want this war to end?" She said suddenly.

Aerrow looked at her with a stunned and confused expression. "What?" He was not expecting that kind of question and his mind was blank for the moment.

Gryphon continued to stare through the stars. "I know it seems like an odd thing to ask, but this war has been going on for decades. I guess what I'm really asking is; do you think it has a chance to end peacefully?"

Aerrow finally looked away and searched his thoughts carefully. "Don't get me wrong, I have always hoped for a peaceful solution, but as you said, this war has gone on for far too long and as it continues I can't help but wonder… is it a false hope?" The Sky Knight turned back to Gryphon to meet her mismatched eyes.

"It doesn't have to be."

"How?" Aerrow asked a little fervently, he needed to know there was still something to aim for.

Gryphon gave him an encouraging smile. "Things will change whether you want them to or not. The world won't stay the same forever, just look at what happened today. What you need to do is help push things in the direction you want them to go." She turned back to the twinkling lights of Atmosia, "which is exactly what I plan to do tomorrow."

Aerrow nodded to himself. "Have you thought of how to approach the Council?"

The Theran grimaced. "Yes and no, and if those council members are even half as rigid and narrow-minded as you say, then I think I may have my work cut out for me."

The young Sky Knight barked a laugh. "Well, whatever happens the Storm Hawks are behind you." He said sincerely.

Gryphon turned to him again, this time with a look of relief. "Thank you."

x x x

The Theran returned to her room, the door closed behind her and she stood there for a bit, silently recalling the dream to her mind. She couldn't remember all the details but the feelings were still there. Gryphon walked across the room and cracked open the shutters of the single small window. She took a deep, calming breath of the night, savouring the taste of Atmosia in the air that was so unlike home. _Could the dream have been a warning? Foreshadowing events to come?_ Gryphon exhaled in frustration. _Or maybe it was just the ramblings of a tired mind._ She wished she could remember the dream properly. In the end she pushed the dream out of her thoughts, she needed to focus on the events at hand. Tomorrow, Atmos will determine the fate of the Therans.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Sundown was approaching fast. Roy made his way through the thin rocky edge of the forest, stopping to hide whenever a Cyclonian Skimmer passed nearby. Panting, he halted at a rather stunted tree to nurse his left side, the arm was surely broken but maybe the ribs were only bruised. He waited for the drone of the skimmer to fade before continuing deeper into the forest. The trees soon grew wider and closer together so Roy slowed down and relaxed a bit. He reached one of the larger trees and leaned against it heavily and worked on catching his breath without breathing too deeply. A low whistle reached his pointed ears, he froze and listening to the forest noises around him; wind, birds, insects, beasts underfoot, his tawny tail swished back and forth slowly, he was starting to wonder if he even heard it when another low whistle sounded. Roy locked onto the direction of the whistle and answered with a chirp, followed by his identifying trill. The sound of the whistling wind came from the same direction, and Roy made his way through the undergrowth. He finally rounded a large boulder to see Breeze sitting on the ground, leaning against the rock. The blond looked up at him, he was pale and his golden eyes no longer smiled.

"Finally, I was worried you had gone deaf!" He tried to sound cheerful but was hunched over his right side, the tip of his flaxen tail quivered with pain and fatigue.

Trying not to jostle his broken arm, Roy kneeled down beside him and reached out, gently lifting away Breeze's ebony claws from his side, a nasty energy burn greeted his electric blue eyes. Roy cursed under his breath and lowered his friend's hand back onto the wound just as carefully.

Breeze had been staring out into the forest vacantly as Roy inspected the wound but now looked up at him. "The first wave took me out before we even reached the edge of the tree line."

"Where are Sonya and Bhoom?"

Breeze looked away again. "They-…" his voice cracked and he took a weary breath. "They managed to draw most of them off and then made for the wall, the Cyclonians didn't follow but I had no time to wonder why." He paused and squeezed his eyes shut as if trying to shut out a memory. "The Wall's defences activated as they passed over."

"No…" Roy sat down heavily against the rock beside his friend, ignoring the flash of pain from his injuries and stared blankly at the dirt. He could just imagine the molten crystal lasers cutting his friends out of the sky. "But how…? They were riding Switchblades – we all were."

Breeze shook his head, but stopped short, wincing, and put hand to his head. "The Cyclonians must have reset the defences at some point to target everything, even the Talon Skimmers."

Roy let his head hang. The wall surrounding their terra that was once used to defend against Cyclonians and keep them out, now kept the Theran people in. Only Cyclonian skimmers and ships could pass over the immense wall safely without being blasted out of the sky.

"What about Gryphon?" Breeze's asked hopefully.

His voice drew Roy out of the dark pit of his mind and reminded him of the purpose of their mission. He turned his gaze to Breeze. "The last I saw of her, she was flying as if the entire Empire was on her tail."

A smile brightened Breeze's face, easing the pained look in his eyes. He leaned his head back against the rock and looked up into the trees. "I knew if anyone could do it, she could."

Roy looked up into the canopy as well and noticed the angle of the sun through the branches. He stood up, using the rock as leverage then stepping over his friend, he helped him to his feet "Come on Breeze," Breeze groaned and leaned against Roy's good side. "Let's try to get home before we miss another meal."

Breeze snorted "If it's your cooking I think I can stand to stay out here another day and a half." He said as they began to limp towards home.

"Ha ha, very funny."

x x x

Klipse shifted her weight on the wide branch, trying to get the feeling back in her legs after crouching for so long. Sighing, she flexed her claws into the bark beneath her and tried to deny the worry slowly gnawing away. _Where are they?_ She searched the forest with her bright yellow eyes, tail swinging rhythmically as she scanned and processed the deep shadows and sounds of the night.

A sharp whistle sounded of to her left. _Pitch! _She thought excitedly. _He must have found something!_ She looked over to the tree where her twin brother was stationed and managed to spot him, but it wasn't easy. His dark complexion, like hers, blended with the night. She sounded a questioning whistle at him and waited. There was a moment of silence before he answered with a short low and high whistle consecutively. Her smile faded; something was wrong. She raced down the tree, claws flashing in the bark, and dropped the last few meters into a sprint to her brother's tree. The worry was starting to gnaw a hole through her mind. Klipse caught up to her brother just as he dropped out of his tree and they continued together at a slower pace.

"What is it?" She asked him in a harsh whisper. Pitch looked troubled. He was never troubled.

"It might be nothing, but…" He glanced at his sister then looked off into the forest ahead. Klipse watched his face intently, not caring if she tripped.

"It's two . _Just_ two. He finished. Klipse returned her attention forward with a lump in her throat.

The two picked up their pace, leaping over fallen debris and dodging around trunks skilfully. Pitch, ahead, suddenly raised his hand and hissed. Klipse stopped immediately and crouched, tail lashing impatiently. Pitch sounded the low whistle that announced their presence and demanded a reply. Two chirps answered as friendly, and a trill followed by whistling wind identified them Roy and Breeze. The dark twins added in hushed gull laughter before running to their friends. The twins found the two leaning on each other and limping their way slowly, both of them looked ready to fall flat on their faces with exhaustion. Pitch hurried over to them.

"Here take Breeze." Roy told him and helped transfer the blond over to lean on Pitch's right side. Breeze was so worn out he could barely lift his head and it looked as if he was concentrating only on breathing and standing.

Klipse, taken aback at the state of him, turned to Roy, who was still on his feet but had a slightly glazed look in his eyes. "What happened?" Roy turned his head toward her and started to wobble, and almost fell until Klipse rushed over to help him. She caught him under his right arm and he gave a small gasp of pain but steadied as she supported his weight.

"Sonya and Bhoom," he whispered, breathing heavily. "They didn't make it."

"What? How-"

"Later Klipse, we have to get them home." Pitch interrupted.

Still in shock, Klipse looked back at Breeze, and realized how tired and in pain they were. Her lips tightened. "Right, let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Dawn rose to greet the Condor perched on the hills of Atmosia. The sun's rays pierced the clouds and fell through the still open shutters of the Condor's guest room to land upon the bed's occupant.

Gryphon's eyes fluttered open, blinded by the sudden glare. She sat up – and immediately regretted it; the movement reawakening every bruise and sore muscle of the past couple days.

The Theran stood up and stretched with a yawn that turned into a groan. "I feel like I fell out of a tree and hit every branch on the way down." Then her mind went back to the leap off of the Switchblade and the not-so graceful landing. "Oh yeah… right." She rotated her right ankle and, finding it healed, shuffled over to the window stiffly and let the morning sun warm her face. Gryphon looked out across Atmosia to the beacon tower blazing with light, and was reminded of what she needed to do today. She was dreading her meeting with the Sky Knight Council, dreading their decision.

It was still quite early in the day so Gryphon walked back to the bed and sat down to try and settle her nerves. She reached up to her neck where the Switchblade had cut her but found only knew tender skin. The burn on her left arm was gone as well.

Her eyes were drawn to her armour leaning against the bedside table and winced inwardly at the state of some of the pieces. She reached out and picked up the thigh guard, intent on polishing every piece as well as she could. _Might as well try and look presentable._ She and laid the metal plate across her lap. Hundreds of scratches marred the surface, but unlike the rest of her armour this piece, strapped to her left thigh, protected her from herself more than anything else. She traced a particular long scratch with a claw, one that was not caused by her but by a lucky Cyclonian with a staff. _Or maybe not so lucky. _Laying it aside she then polished the rest as best she could.

Lastly, Gryphon drew out her Theran Swordstaff and polished the blade until it gleamed. The wide, curved blade was about as long as her forearm, with an almost equally long hilt, but could extend to twice its length with a simple flick and twist. The longer hilt made it easier for air combat and the shorter for close quarters. The weapon did have a slight Cyclonian feel to it and could be seen in the cross guard and crystal pommel. "When all you have are lemons…" Gryphon sighed, another reminder of her mission to get Skythern out from under the shadow of Cyclonian rule.

Leaving the now clean armour and weapon on the freshly made bed, Gryphon dressed and exited the room. It was now well past dawn and she wondered if any of the others were up and about. A clatter sounded nearby and, after having a full tour the day before, the noise must have originated from the kitchen.

Gryphon approached the doorway and found Piper hard at work making breakfast with not a helping hand in sight. _She does too much _"What, no backup?"

Piper jumped "Oh, Gryphon! I didn't hear you come in."

The Theran shrugged. "Sorry, it's the paws. They do come in handy more often than not, just don't expect me to set foot on ice… or waxed floors for that matter."

The navigator laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So what are you making?" Gryphon leaned against the island and peered into the mixing bowl on the countertop. "Did you need any help?"

"Sure!" Piper said, delighted. "They're called Sandcakes. It's an old family recipe actually, and the boys can't seem to live without them, Stork especially."

Gryphon walked over to the sink to wash up, "Another valid reason why they should be helping." She said good-heartedly. "You'd think they'd want to lick the bowl!"

Piper giggled and handed her the mixing spoon. "I don't mind, honestly it's nice to have some quiet time in the morning, because once Finn wakes up..." The girl shuddered. "It is a constant assault on your ears and your patience."

"Yes that one does seem like a live wire"

"Oh you have no idea." Piper grinned.

The two worked in silence for a moment. Gryphon cleared her throat awkwardly. "Piper, I just wanted to say... well I'm so thankful that you and your friends have helped me out so far. You've treated me like an old friend but you hardly know me. I don't even know how to repay you properly!"

Piper smiled. "These last couple years have been tough on us and all of Atmos but we've always found time to have fun, to stay hopeful, because if we didn't, we would be consumed by this war. To see an enemy wherever you look is not a way I want to live."

The two continued making breakfast and talking, Piper telling stories about when they crashed into the Black Gorge, and when they babysat Tinkie, the baby Wallop, Gryphon could hardly believe that one._ They have done so much for ones so young._

Soon the talk led to the enemy, specifically Snipe, Ravess, and The Dark Ace.

"The Dark Ace is the worst of them," Piper said as she spooned batter onto a pan. "He has defeated more Sky Knights than anyone and he is the one who betrayed the old Storm Hawks. He is merciless."

Radarr had arrived few minutes before, having sniffed out the cooking Sandcakes, and was now happily licking the mixing spoon.

"We may have defeated The Dark Ace on several occasions but never take him or any of them lightly."

Talk then led to other enemies like the Raptors, Murk Raiders and Nightcrawlers. Then to the other species that inhabited the Atmos, like the care-free Blizzarians, paranoid Merbs, tough Wallops, and the fish people from Aquinos.

Gryphon mind was whirling, "There is so much in this world I don't know... could never have dreamed of existing!"

"Well once your terra is free there will be plenty of time to explore!" She said confidently.

_I wish I could be that sure of the future._

They set breakfast as they talked and soon the smell drew even Finn out of bed.

The team told more stories such as the legendary Terra Vapos, racing across Terra Saharr, getting lost in the Great Expanse, and exploring the stratosphere.

Gryphon ate quietly as Finn was in the middle re-enacting his 'heroic' battle with the giant Verroc for the second time. Half listening, she couldn't help but think that just a couple days ago she was flying solo through unknown air currents and now in the course of a single day these six strangers have taken her in and treated her like family, helping her without question. She had felt welcome as soon as she met them. No matter what happened now she owed them, for her life and her home.

Once the meal was finished, the four Storm Hawks and the Theran prepared to leave. Radarr decided to stay behind after exceeding his limit on Sandcakes, and Stork was complaining of the return of a strange rash and refused to leave the Condor.

Gryphon retrieved her armour and, after a second thought, her swordstaff before joining the team in the hanger bay.

Aerrow turned to her as she squeezed onto Piper's Heliscooter. "You ready to do this?"

Gryphon nodded and smiled, trying to convince herself. "As ready as I'll ever be." Butterflies were beginning to form in her stomach. _Maybe I shouldn't have eaten anything._

"In that case -" The Sky Knight faced the open hanger door. "Storm hawks, let's fly!"

Gryphon attempted to quell the butterflies as they took off. Hopefully the flight and fresh air would help with them.

x x x

The four skyrides landed in the city square, converting to bike mode, and continued across to the Council Hall.

Gryphon noticed a fair amount of people up and about as they parked next to a tree in the square, some of those people began to notice them and also notice Gryphon. In fact, a fair amount of people began to collect around them and a steady hum filled the air.

The Storm Hawks and the Theran carried on to the building on foot. Aerrow and Gryphon were up front with Piper and Finn behind and Junko bringing up the rear.

Aerrow turned to Gryphon beside him. "You know, you are probably the first Theran to set foot on Atmosia in 20 years."

Gryphon swallowed a particularly large butterfly and smiled weakly at the faces staring back. "Great, no pressure then…" She turned her attention to the building in front of her; it had a friendly appearance, a tall pinnacle rose above massive arched double doors. Two single storey wings stretched out to either side of the two storey face, each lined with large half-arched windows. The five made their way up the short flight of stairs and entered the great wooden doors. Inside, under the spacious ceiling, a narrow red carpet led forward, branching to smaller wooden doors on either side of the room. Simple oak benches were set beside each of the arched doors, two children of similar ages sat together on one, conversing quietly. The carpet continued forward, reaching a heavy wooden desk behind which sat an elderly man with unruly white hair.

The man looked up as they approached and perched atop a somewhat large nose he wore small round reading glasses. "Young Aerrow of the Storm Hawks," His kind green eyes peered down at the Sky Knight. "Now what is it I can do for you?"

At an encouraging nod from Aerrow Gryphon stepped forward and cleared her throat. "It's not what you can do for him, but for me." Not knowing the proper protocol of address for the man, she gave him a small Theran bow. With left foot forward she laid her claws over her heartguard, gripped the hilt of her swordstaff with her other hand and bent slightly at the waist, bowing her head. "I am Gryphon, of the Perie Pryde." Gryphon raised her head and returned to her normal stance. The man behind the desk stared down at her, astonishment painted on his face. "I am here as an unofficial representative for Terra Skythern."

"My…" The man removed his glasses and leaned back in his chair. "Never would I have thought to see a Theran again in my lifetime."

"Please, I humbly request a hearing with the Sky Knight Council." Gryphon clamped her mouth shut, afraid if she continued she would end up on her knees begging like a fledgling.

The aged man sighed "Yes of course, I thought you might." Placing his reading glasses back over his eyes he then began writing on a small section of paper. "Most of the Council is currently engaged in a prior meeting but I have no doubt in my mind that they will be eager to speak with you."

He finished writing, folded the paper, and held it out in his hand. Immediately one of the young Pages jumped up from a bench and hurried over to take it.

The man leaned down to speak to the boy "Take this to Mrs. Acrido, as quickly as you can."

The boy nodded sharply and rushed out the front doors.

"I know you must have waited a long time already but I'm afraid I have to ask you to be patient for a little more." He rose from his seat and retrieved a short cane from beneath the desk. "If you will excuse me, I will tell the council of your arrival, perhaps it will speed their progress." He added with a smile.

"Thank you" Gryphon said with another small bow.

The man then nodded politely to Aerrow and the team before exiting through a door behind the desk.

The next thirty minutes or so were spent in relative silence. Gryphon offered to wait alone, suggesting that she could radio the team when she needed a pickup, but Aerrow would have none of it.

"You won't get rid of us that easily." He said with a sly grin. "We want to know what they have to say as much as you."

"Speak for yourse – oof!" Finn began before Piper elbowed him in the gut, which then brought a loud echoing laugh from Junko, startling the Page who still remained.

The Wallop clapped a hand over his mouth and looked around the room sheepishly. "Sorry." He whispered.

The five tried to occupy themselves to pass the time, or in Gryphon's case, to keep from having a nervous breakdown. Piper was studying a large map on one side of the room, Junko had discovered the hefty bookcase to the right of the map and was now sitting on one of benches flipping through the pages of an ancient text. Finn had claimed another nearby bench and was currently stretched out on his back, no doubt sleeping. Aerrow seemed even more agitated then Gryphon. The Sky Knight was pacing fitfully along the stretch of the carpet between front doors and desk.

Gryphon itched to join him but forced herself to be still, instead she satisfied herself with inspecting the great double doors at the entrance. Something on them caught her eye from the outside and the same design adorned the dark wood on this side as well.

Carved into the deep grain were many small symbols, none were identical that she could see. Gryphon's eyes swept over the surface of the door as she wondered on their meaning. Suddenly she spotted the Storm Hawks symbol and realized that each one must represent a Sky Knight squadron in the Atmos. Gryphon marvelled at the number of different symbols covering the door. _There must be over a thousand!_ She thought in awe.

The Theran spotted another familiar one with a sense of loss. It was a stylized left wing within a circle; The Iron Wings, the Sky Knight symbol for her terra's squadron. It wasn't just the symbols of the current Sky Knight squadrons on the doors, but every squadron throughout history.

The creak of hinges snapped everyone back to reality. Aerrow halted his pacing in front of the desk and took a few steps towards the right-wing doors as they eased open. Gryphon and the rest of the Storm Hawks gathered behind Aerrow as two armed guards emerged escorting a tall, well-built man in a prison uniform with dirty blond hair and stern tan eyes.

The only other humans Gryphon had come to know in her life – besides the Storm Hawks – had been Cyclonians, and just one sniff of this guy sent her instincts into overdrive. She barely managed to restrain herself from rushing over and rearranging that pretty face of his.

Aerrow's clenched his hands into fists, "_Carver._" The Sky Knight's eyes narrowed in hate.

With hands bound the man stopped, forcing his guards to do the same. "Well if it isn't the Storm Hawks!" Carver said, looking happily surprised, "Back to plead your case to the council?" Somewhat amused by the very idea. "Sorry, but I'm afraid you're still under the height limit to be an official Sky Knight." He sneered.

Gryphon thought she could hear Aerrow's teeth grinding. She stepped up beside the Sky Knight and put a claw tipped hand on his shoulder.

The sneer faded from Carver's face as he studied the Theran. "Now what do we have here?" He looked back at Aerrow with a smirk, "another addition to your pathetic menagerie? To think you're the descendant of the legendary Storm Hawks…" He lowered his voice, goading him on. "…your father would be ashamed of you."

Before Aerrow could react, Gryphon snapped and rushed him "Cyclonian scum!" she snarled, slamming her palm into his chest she forced his back against the wall and wrapped her claws around his neck. Carver gave a strangled yelp, his eyes wide.

The two surprised guards quickly trained their crystal staves on the Theran, exchanging uncertain glances.

"You may not look it, but you are all the same," She hissed, her golden eye blazing. "You cowards run when you can't win, and run your mouth when you can't fight." Gryphon leaned closer and dug her claws in a little more. "I wonder if you bleed the same." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear, tail lashing angrily.

Carver's face turned white.

A hand touched her shoulder tentatively, though the Theran already knew who it was.

"Gryphon," Aerrow said lightly.

She let Carver squirm for a couple more seconds before releasing her grip and backing away. The guards reclaimed their prisoner and all three moved quickly away and out the front doors.

Finally Gryphon turned; the four Storm Hawks stared at her in stunned silence.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side." Finn said.

Junko nodded his agreement speechlessly.

A little embarrassed, Gryphon turned to the Sky Knight. "Aerrow I-"

"No, don't say it," He interrupted, holding up his hands. "Besides, I was going to do something much worse." The redhead said with a malicious grin.

A creak from the door caught their attention once again. This time another young Page emerged.

Older than the others, the girl stood before the group confidently and addressed them. "Gryphon of Terra Skythern, the Council will see you now."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Roy gazed up the trunk of the Great Tree, staring longingly at the makeshift handholds worn smoothly into the bark over many years. Sighing he adjusted the sling holding his left arm and continued on, searching for an alternate way up the trunk. _There must be some stairs around here somewhere._ Roy stepped off of the wide branch and onto the ramped walkway that encircled the trunk, connecting nearby branches.

The next branch was more promising, an offshoot grew a third of the way down the branch, curving up and around its parent tree. Smooth steps were worn into the bark. Roy made his way up the steep stairs, stopping only once for a breather. Healing crystals were in short supply, and those that they could steal from the Cyclonians were low grade so the break in his left arm was the only thing healed, and minimally at that. He would have to let it, and his bruised ribs to heal completely on their own.

Levelling out, the greenery began to thicken as the branch thinned. Cradled in the foliage at the end of the branch was a simple platform with several suspended walkways leading off of it, each of those walkways led to another platform in a different tree.

Roy stopped to lean against the low railing that enclosed the balcony. Looking out through the criss-cross of walkways, platforms and tree paths, he could see the morning break, crisp and clear. He missed the chatter of people going about their day, the musical hum of life that used to fill the camp. But things had changed in the past few years, the pressure from Cyclonia was growing and families decided it was safer elsewhere, far away from the camp that had formed after the takeover. Hope was fading, and now the largest rebel camp lay abandoned, but only to the Cyclonian eye.

All paths and walkways eventually led to a single tree at the heart of the camp. The tree was a giant among the others, twice as thick and stretching into the sky high above the forest. A scorched scar split the tree in half almost to its base. Lightening struck. The Great Tree had paid the price for its loftiness. Walkways high and low merged into the crack.

Roy ignored the sharp whistle that sounded somewhere above him. Sentries were posted all along the lightning's scar but he knew if he looked, he would never see them.

He stepped through the blackened opening into the center of the tree. The heart of the Giant had been burned out by the lightening and years of insects, weather and hard work had hollowed it out even more. Now, bridges stretched across the inside of the trunk, from the base of the hollow to the top. Levels upon levels of carved staircases, platforms and walkways leading to small alcoves and rooms dug directly into the wood, all silent.

More stairs fell deeper, into the very roots of the Giant; this is where the Therans in the camp lived now, in a glorified warren.

Roy started down the tunnels into the labyrinth, hoping he could get to the Med. Root before he collapsed from exhaustion. Crystal lanterns lined the walls at regular intervals and signs carved into exposed root at intersections kept anyone from getting too lost. Though the tunnels were spacious Roy still felt a little claustrophobic; Therans were not meant to live underground, hiding away.

"How's the arm?"

Roy looked up as his twin brother exited a side tunnel on his left. Just a little annoyed that he let anyone sneak up on him, even if it was Rayn. _I must be more worn out then I thought. _"Better, the ribs are still a little sore though." Rayn may have been born just a few minutes ahead of him but he acted like it was years. He was always looking out for him.

"Good, now how are you?" Rayn asked seriously as he walked beside him.

Roy avoided looking at him. "What do you mean?" He lied. He knew exactly what he meant, they both did.

Rayn stole a quick glance at his brother through matching electric blue eyes. "Roy," he began hesitantly, "I heard what happened. Sonya and Bhoom… they knew what they were getting into, more than anyone."

Roy bit back a wave of emotion. "I know," he said quietly. He still couldn't help but feel partially responsible. It was his plan to begin with and everyone trusted him. "It doesn't make it any easier."

"No, only time can help you there."

Roy nodded wordlessly. The two continued to walk down the tunnel. In the end Roy broke the silence. "Speaking of time, it's been two days since I saw you last. You were supposed to meet Thunder and Twila right after your mission."

Rayn combed claws through his red-brown hair guiltily. "Uh, yeah… about that, I kind of hit a bit of a snag."

Roy looked at his brother and arched an eyebrow. "Define snag."

"Just a few dozen extra Talons," He shrugged, admiring the claws on his right hand. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

Roy smirked. "Okay, I'm guessing that's not what held you up then?"

"…No." He said finally.

"What is it?" Roy questioned, a little concerned. Something was wrong, he was holding back.

Rayn stopped and grabbed his brother by the shoulders and glanced around checking the tunnel for any other Therans before facing him. "I found something, something big." He whispered.

Roy couldn't discern the look on his brothers face, whether he was excited, scared or both. "Well, what is it?" He repeated, almost afraid to ask.

He opened his mouth to speak when the sound of distant talk reached their ears. Rayn pulled his brother into a dark side-tunnel where they waited for the voices to fade.

Satisfied, Rayn turned back to his brother. "When I made it to Kest, the city was completely overrun. More Talons must have been shipped in without our noticing." He said his voice still low.

"The Triplets said the same about Thesse, Skya and Screea had to help pull them out." Roy added, thinking about the younger Airak, Airan and Aerial, those three were almost more trouble than they were worth. He would have liked to see the fierce sisters drag them out by their tails.

"I found out why." Rayn continued, pulling his brother out of his weary wandering thoughts. "I took a detour through their hanger on the way to my objective." Rayn shook his head and leaned against the tunnel wall. "The amount of skimmer s and weaponry they have stockpiled screams war, and I bet it's the same story in Thesse and Essiri."

A feeling of dread welled up inside Roy. "War. With who? They can't be gathering all these forces just to fight us."

"No, it's for the rest of the Atmos."

Knowing his brother, Rayn would have most likely searched the entire town twice over to find proof he needed, but still, Roy had to ask. "You are sure about this?"

Rayn didn't answer, "I made it to the communications tower in time to eavesdrop on a broadcast, it was high security and from Cyclonia direct." Rayn paused and fidgeted restlessly, not wanting to continue "Cyclonia is using Terra's they control as strategic points to launch a massive invasion on the rest of Atmos." He finished in a rush.

"This is your news?" Roy said a bit confused. "Atmos has weathered worse things."

Rayn began shaking his head before his brother even finished. "Not like this, think of it, this has been building for months behind our backs without even our knowledge. No one will see this storm coming, it will be a massacre."

Roy cursed and ran a hand through his shorter red-brown hair then over his face. "When do they attack?"

"I don't know." He said regretfully.

"What?" Roy's shout was louder than he expected. His voice echoed through the tunnel.

Rayn raised his claws in defence. "I was spotted before I could learn more, by the time I took care of the Talons it was too late, so I finished the mission: cut out communications, raised hell and concentrated on getting out of there alive."

Roy growled in frustration and began to pace in front of his brother. The sling around his neck was uncomfortable and began to irritate him. He reached up and cut the sling with a claw, casting the bit of cloth away from him. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of Gryphon and the plan to confront the council on Atmosia. _If only we had known of this earlier. _

Roy stopped and leaned against the tunnel wall, hanging his head in defeat. "I sent her to her death Rayn."

"Gryphon…" he said, immediately understanding.

Roy looked up and stared through his brother, getting an idea. "We have to warn them somehow." He decided and, forgetting his exhaustion, pushed away from the wall and headed back into the lit tunnel, continuing towards the Med. Root with a quicker pace.

Rayn jogged to catch up with his brother. "Roy, all Cyclonian radio towers are encrypted, we'd never figure out their codes in time."

Roy grimaced. The codes could be letters, numbers, or both, between eleven and twenty-six digits and changed every ten days. "Then we'll just have to warn them in person."

His brother skipped a step in shock. "Oh, well, of course! You can see how well that went the first time. We had planned for weeks and they were still expecting it!"

"They won't expect this."

"And what is 'This' pray-tell?" Rayn asked sarcastically.

Roy ignored him. "Gather the others, meet me at the Med. Root in Breeze's room, we'll fill in the details together." He smiled to himself. "We're going to steal an Airship."

* * *

All the city/town/outpost/ landmark names on T. Skythern are from The Language of the Making from the Wizard of Earthsea books by Ursula K. LeGuin. I do not claim them as my own!


End file.
